Route is short for “routine”.

When building million dollar routes for clients, I often remind operators that “route” is short for “routine.” I expound on this by stating that this is a two-fold remark. First of all, you want all your customers to “routinely” utilize the service. Obviously the ultimate route client is one who drops a bag at least one a week; however, I would consider a good customer one who uses your service at least once a month, especially if they are in the neighborhood of other customers.

Part of growing your business is to “educate” the client about the benefits of the service as well as “training” them to leave the bag on the proper pick-up and delivery days. This also translates to not putting them on an “on-call” basis. Again, with the “route” is short for “routine” philosophy, I want customers to know that we are always in your neighborhood twice a week. This is a critical element that often gets “mis-communicated” between the consumer and the beginning sales process.

Secondly, for a route to be serviced efficiently, I believe that a routine system must be in place for the drivers to effectively do their job and make the route profitable and manageable. I strongly recommend a system in place that eliminates errors BEFORE the clothes leave the plant. Utilizing the manifest to the fullest will assist in all aspects of the route. Also, having “on calls” can disrupt the route driver’s routine, especially if there is not a proper system in place for call-ins.

When marketing for new delivery customers, I let them know that we “routinely” drive by their house twice a week. This gives them three reasons to sign up for the route.

  1. We are already in the neighborhood. Gives us credibility, while eliminating their fear that they don’t do enough dry-cleaning.
  2. No more “on-calls”. Let them know that you are in the customer service business and to not worry about calling, we’ll be here. Customers will appreciate this even though they may ask to be put on this.
  3. Keeping up with the Joneses. Often they will sign-up just because their neighbors are doing it.

We need to be in control of our business, especially in these difficult times. We are in a reactive business and a system should be in place so that a routine can be established. Too often I witness operators who are in disarray and it trickles down to the employees and their performance. A system is easier to manage than an employee and enables you to be able to replace a driver a lot simpler than before. Trust me, this is the one area that is quite overlooked by many dry-cleaners. The drivers cannot be the system.

The bottom line is thatyou must have routine system in place for operating a successful pick-up and delivery service. Be proactive, not reactive and you will have a million dollar route.